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Despite all his protestations to the contrary, it would appear that WP hooker Tiaan Liebenberg is off to France after all.

Liebenberg has become the umpteenth player in recent times to leave South African shores to accept a highly lucrative offer from Racing Club Toulonaise. The Southern French club, recently promoted to the top fourteen, is owned by billionaire Mourad Boudjellal and has shown in singing All Black starts Jerry Collins and Dan Carter that it is not shy to pay top dollar for the best talent.

Blue Bulls locks Vic Matfield and Francois van Schouwenburg have both recently returned from stints with Toulon, as has former Bok prop Lawrence Sephaka.

Liebenberg seems unhappy to be behind the lighter, yet more dynamic Schalk Brits in the pecking order at WP (and the Boks) and has been granted an early release from his provincial contract to accept a “very attractive package” from the RCT. His departure, although sanctioned by the WP management, will leave the team a little light in terms of hooking options, with neither Brits nor rookie Deon Fourie the sort of player to cause opposition tight fives any sleepless nights in the set pieces. Hanyani Shimange is, of course, still contracted to Province, yet appears to have disappeared off the scene.

Liebenberg will join fellow South Africans Wessel Roux and Nico Breedt in the Toulon pack. He may well, of course, find himself throwing the ball to Bakkies Botha come lineout time, should the big Bull be successful in his legal action against his current employers.

@CoffeeShopBok;-) (Comment 6) :
So thats why I saw Rassie in negotiations on the corner of Harrison and Smit streets the other night. From what was seen it seems as if he is heeding the call to bulk up the front row.

Isn’t this the same player who said that he was 150% committed to Province?

I think I’ve worked it out, it’s called the commitment/effort-honesty continuum.
Like the space-time continuum, where if you travel through space at faster than the speed of light (100% of potential speed), then you start moving back in time.
In the commitment/effort-honesty continuum, if say, Liebenberg says that he’s 150% committed, what he’s really saying is “I’m 100% committed, but there’s a 50% chance that I’m talking crap.”